Stratford students raise cash for puppies

LOCAL Guide Dog charity Shakespeare’s Puppies Appeal visited Stratford College recently and received a generous donation of £2,500 from the students.

This fundraising total, which smashed the college’s target by £500, will be instrumental in providing the training for a soon-to-be-born guide dog, who will be named Montague in keeping with the Shakespeare-themed names given to puppies currently in training - Uphton, Troilus, Isabella and Warwick (pictured).

The money was generated from charity events organised and run entirely by students from across the college curriculum. These included raffles and tombolas, fundraising cakes sales from Entry Level students, and a themed dining event, Dining in the Dark, held earlier this year at the College’s own restaurant, The Academy.

Catering Studies student Elise Salter, aged 17 from Warwick, was the driving force behind the charity dining experience – a six-course taster menu which raised over £600. Music students from the College gave a live performance to greet the guests on arrival and blindfolds were provided so diners could explore a complete sensory experience. “I was asked by my lecturer Hannah Waldram to think of a way to raise money for Guide Dogs for the Blind. It was so exciting to be part of creating Dining in the Dark. A lot of hard work went into planning and running the evening but raising so much money definitely made it worthwhile.”